Oakland Athletics Mount Rushmore
The Oakland Athletics have had quite a few great players and iconic figures since their move to the west coast. Which of those individuals make up the team’s Mount Rushmore?
It took some time for the Oakland Athletics to find their permanent home. After owning the team since its inception, Connie Mack‘s family sold the team to Arnold Johnson in 1954. He moved the team to Kansas City in 1955, and essentially turned it into the Yankees farm team until he sold the franchise to Charlie Finley in 1960.
Finley essentially wanted to leave Kansas City from the moment he purchased the team, but it took years for that dream to become a reality. Finally, the A’s moved to Oakland prior to the 1968 campaign, where they have been since.
Over the years, the A’s have had quite a few stellar players in their history. Both dynasties in Philadelphia included some of the best players at their positions, and some of the great pitchers in major league history. The same could be said for their time in Oakland – the A’s run in the early 1970s, and their success in the 1980s, was due to their impressive lineups and iconic managers.
Which of those players and/or executives belong on the Oakland Athletics Mount Rushmore? Let’s take a look through the team’s history over the past 51 years.
Rickey Henderson
The Oakland Athletics and Rickey Henderson truly valued one another. That relationship led to Henderson being a part of the A’s four different times.
The greatest leadoff hitter in history, some of Henderson’s most memorable moments came during his tenure in Oakland. He broke Lou Brock‘s stolen base record while a member of the A’s, and collected his 2000th career hit. Henderson won a World Series as part of the 1989 team, and later added a second championship during his half season in Toronto.
Henderson naturally had some impressive numbers in those four different stints. He was a six time All Star during that time in Oakland, winning the 1990 AL MVP and finishing second in 1980. In addition, Henderson won a Gold Glove and two Silver Slugger awards, as he became a household name.
In those 14 years he spent in Oakland, Henderson his typically strong results. He produced a .288/.409/.430 batting line, hitting 289 doubles, 167 homers, and stealing 867 bases. He led the league in steals nine times in Oakland, including when he stole 66 bases as a 39 year old in 1998.
Rickey Henderson was easily the best player in Oakland Athletics history. His inclusion on the team’s Mount Rushmore is not a surprise.
Reggie Jackson
Reggie Jackson tends to be remembered most for his five years with the Yankees. However, it was as a member of the Oakland Athletics where his star was born.
The fact that Jackson was even a member of the A’s in the first place was a testament to luck and the ineptitude of the Mets at the beginning part of their history. He was the second overall selection in the 1966 MLB Draft when the Mets, with the first overall selection, took catcher Steve Chilcott, who never found his way to the majors.
Jackson spent the first nine seasons, and his final season, with the A’s. During those ten combined years with the A’s, Jackson was a six time All Star, winning the 1973 AL MVP award and finishing in the top five three other times. He was also the Major League Player of the Year and World Series MVP in 1973, the second of three consecutive titles won by the A’s.
In his ten seasons in Oakland, Jackson proved to be one of the more fearsome power hitters of his time. He produced a .262/.355/.496 batting line, hitting 234 doubles and 269 homers. Jackson even stole 145 bases, and had three 20-20 seasons. He led the league in homers and runs twice, and led the AL in RBI in that excellent 1973 campaign.
Reggie Jackson was one of the key members of the Oakland Athletics’ first dynasty on the west coast. And, even if he was depicted as a member of the Angels, he was one hell of an actor as well.
Sal Bando
Another player who was part of the franchise in their days in Kansas City, Sal Bando was an underrated star with the Oakland Athletics.
Selected in the sixth round of the 1965 MLB Draft, Bando made his major league debut the following year, appearing in 11 games. While he got a bit more playing time the following year, it was not until the franchise moved to Oakland that he truly blossomed.
Bando became one of the better third basemen in the league almost immediately upon the move to Oakland. He finally had a full time spot in the lineup and quickly blossomed. In his eleven years with the A’s, he was a four time All Star, finished in the top five of the MVP vote three times, and won three championships.
An underrated hitter with excellent on base skills, he produced some strong numbers during that time in Oakland. He put together a .255/.359/.418 batting line, hitting 212 doubles and 192 homers. While he was never a Gold Glove caliber third baseman, Bando did finish third with 11 runs saved at the hot corner in 1972.
Even if he does not get mentioned in the same breath as the bigger stars of the first Oakland Athletics dynasty, Sal Bando was an important piece of the puzzle. One of the most valuable players in franchise history since moving to the West Coast, he deserves this spot.
Bert Campaneris
Unlike other players on this list, Bert Campaneris did not need the franchise to move before being a star.
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A steady player with excellent speed, Camaneris won three stolen base titles before the move to Oakland. He also became widely known for playing every position on the diamond in a game in 1965, the first player in major league history to do so.
The move to Oakland did not affect his production at all. As the A’s improved, he received greater recognition for his skills on the diamond, becoming a star. He was a five time All Star on the west coast, winning three more stolen base titles and led the AL with 177 hits in 1968. During the second dead ball era, his excellent speed was a true asset.
During his time in Oakland, Campaneris was a solid player atop the lineup. In those nine seasons, he posted a respectable .263/.316/.342 batting line, hitting 175 doubles and stealing 398 bases. Campineris was also a stellar defensive player, finishing second in runs saved three times, and ranks in the top 25 all time in putouts, assists, double plays, and range factor amongst major league shortstops.
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Is there anyone that you think should have made the Oakland Athletics Mount Rushmore that was left off the list? Let us know in the comments!